Railway-switch.



S. M. GHASE & W. G. STOGKLIN.

- RAILWAY swrron. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6, 1908.

907,971, Patented Dec.29,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. M. CHASE & W. G. STOGKLIN.

RAILWAY swn'on.

APPLICATION TILED. JAN. 6, 1908. 907,971 Patented De0.29, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

457282700065 aka/Se, wazzmv 6. Staci-52 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SHERWOOD M. CHASE AND WILLIAM G. STOOKLIN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE CHASE FOUNDRY AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, A CORPORA- TION OF OHIO.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, V 1908.

Application filed. January 6, 1908; Serial No. 409,392.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, SHERWOOD M. CHASE and WILLIAM;C. STOOKLIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Oolumbus,in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to railwayswitches,-

and the object of the invention 1s to provide such a switch which will be strong and durable and very simple-in its construction and operation which will provide, when in either its open or closed position, a practically continuous rail having a bearing surface of uniform width; and to provide improved operatlng means for throwing said switch.

With these objects in view our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in certain parts and combinations hereinafter to be described, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a switch embodying our invention, showing the same closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the switch open; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the switch; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the base plate; Fig. 5 is an end elevation of a slightly modified form of the switch; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the actuating means; and Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the same with one side of the casing removed.

In these drawings, in which we have shown the preferred form of our invention, the rails of the main track are divided into two portions, the portion 1 forming the approach to the switch and the portion 2 lying beyond the switch. The rails 3 of the siding terminate near the portion 2 of the main track rails and preferably have their ends arranged in substantially the same transverse plane as the ends of the portions 2 ofthe' main track The adjacent ends of the portions 1 and 2 of each of the main track rails are spaced some distance apart and a plurality of rail sections are movably mounted adjacent thereto and are adapted to be moved into such a position relatively tosaidrails as to connect the portion 1 ofthemain track rail either with the portion2 of said. main track rail or with the siding rail 3 and, when so connected, will form a practically continuous rail either for the main track or for the siding, as the case may be.

In the presentinstance, We have provided a suitable base plate 4 which is interposed between the ad acent ends of the portions 1 and 2 of the main track rail and which has its opposite ends recessed, as shown at 5 and 6, to receivethe corres onding ends of the several rails and to ho d the same in a fixed relation to said plate. The rail sections 7, which, in the present instance, are two in number, are preferably formed integral'and are pivoted tosaid base plate at a point near one end thereof and near the end of the siding rail 3 and'portion 2 of the main track rail, as shown at 8. The ivotal center 8 of the rail sections 7 being clbse to the end thereof, it will be seen thatthe corresponding ends of said rail sections will be practically stationary and will, at all times, be practically in alinement with theirrespective track rails, that is, will occupy such a position relatively to said track rails that a car wheel will pass from said track. rail to said rail section or vice versa, it not being necessary'to this end that the rail section should continue in the same direction as the track rail so long as their adjacent ends are properly located relatively one to the other. The rail sections 7 are preferably of a slightlyless length than that portion of the base plate 4 which lies between'therecessed ends thereof, and, consequently; there will be a slight space between theends of the rail sections 4 and the ends of the adjacent track rails, which space, while not sufficient to interrupt the practical continuity of the track, is sufficient to permit the rail sections 'to be moved about their pivotal center a distance suflicient to bring the other end of either of said rail sections into alinementwith the portion 1 of the main track rail, thus, when the rail sections are in one position, forming a practically continuous main track, and, when the rail sections are in the other position, forming a practically continuous track to the siding, the bearing surface of either of said tracks being substantially uniform throughout their length. The movable rail sections in the two rails of the main track are substantially the same and are so connected one to the other as to move in unison, thus operating both sides of the switch simultaneously. This connecting means, as here shown, comprises a link 9 pivotally connected at each end to one of said rail sections.

The rail sections themselves. may be moved in any suitable manner, it being common practice in the operation of industrial railways to operate the switch by shifting the points with the foot without the use of operating mechanism, but we have here shown a switch as provided with an improved mechanism for throwing the same. This mechanism preferably comprises a rod or bar 10 pivotal y connected at one end to one of the rail sections and extending outwardly therefrom at substantially right angles thereto and having near its outer end a projection 11 provided on its upper surface with a recess 12. Those portions of the bar 10 lying on o osite sides of the rejection 11 are slidab y mounted in gui eways 13 forming the lower portion of the casing 14, which is rigidly secured to a fixed support. The shaft 15 is journaled in the casing 14 above the bar 10 and extends substantially arallel with said bar. This shaft has a spira rib 16 which is adapted to engage the recessed projection 11, and, when the shaft 15 is rotated about its longitudinal axis, to impart a longitudinal movement to the bar 10 and thus move the rail sections 7 from one posi tion to the other. The shaft 15 preferably has one end extending beyond the casing, as shown at 17, and squared to receive the socket of a weighted operating lever 18, such as is commonly employed in connection with railway switches. The pitch of the spiral rib 16 on the shaft 15 is preferably such that the movement of said lever through a half revolution will move the bar 10. a distance sufiicient to operate the switch.

While we have herein shown and described the invention as applied to a two way switch, it will be obvious that by supplying additional rail sections 7 that additional sidings may be connected to the main line and all operated by a single mechanism.

In Fig. 5 we have shown the apparatus as adapted for a three way switch. In this construction it will be necessary to so pitch the spiral rib 16 of the operating mechanism as to move the rail sections 7 through a greater distance, the switch being closed to both sidings when the operating lever 18 is in a substantially vertical position.

Thus, it will be seen that we have provided a switch which is extremely simple in its construction and operation and which is so constructed that there is no possibility of the parts jamming or becoming locked against movement; that when the switch is in any one of its positions, the track is practically a continuous one and has a uniform bearing surface; and further, that we have provided an improved operating mechanism for actuating said switch.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. I11 a railway switch, the combination, with a divided main track rail, and a siding rail terminating adjacent to the end of one portion of said main track rail, of a pair of rail sections, a web extending between said rail sections and formed integral therewith, a support for said rail sections, a pivot pin carried by said support and extending through said web near one end of said rail sections, said rail sections being mounted between the parts of said main track rail and having their adjacent ends permanently in alinement with said siding rail and with the adjacent portion of said main track rail, respectively, and adapted to be moved to bring the other end of either of said rail sections into alinement with the other portion of said main track rail.

2. In a railway switch, the combination, with a divided main track rail, and a siding rail terminating adjacent to the end of one portion of said main track rail, of a base plate interposed between the ends of said main track rail and having recesses in the ends thereof to receive the corresponding ends of said rails, a pair of rail sections pivotally mounted on said base plate and having their adjacent ends permanently in aline ment with said portion of the main track rail and with said siding rail, respectively, and adapted to be moved to bring the other end of either of said rail sections into alinement with the other portion of said main track rail.

3. In a railway switch, the combination, with a divided main track rail, and a siding rail terminating adjacent to the end of one portion of said main track rail, of a base plate interposed between the ends of said main track rail and having recesses in the ends thereof to receive the corresponding ends of said rails, a pair of rail sections pivotally mounted on said base plate and of a length less than the distance between the inner ends of said recesses, and having their adjacent ends permanently in alinement with said portion of the main track rail and. with said siding rail, respectively, and adapted to be moved to bring the other end of either of said rail sections into alinement with the other portion of said main track rail.

4. In a railway switch, the combination, with a divided main track rail, of a base plate interposed between and in engagement with the ends of the two portions of said rail and forming stops therefor, a rail section pivotally mounted upon said base plate with one end in permanent alinement with the corresponding end of one portion of'said main trackrail and ada ted to be actuated to move the other end thereof into and out of alinement with the corresponding end of the other portion of said main track rail.

5. In a railway switch, the combination; with a divided main track rail, of'a base plate interposed between the ends of the two portions of said main track rail and having recesses in the ends thereof to receive the corres ondlng ends of said rall, a rail section pivota y mounted on said base plate with one end in permanent alinement with the corresponding end of one portion of said main track rail and adapted to be actuated 15 to move the otherend thereof into and out of alinement with the corresponding end of the other portion of the main track rail.

' In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

SHERWOOD M. CHASE.

WILLIAM C. STOCKLIN.

Witnesses:

F. J. GLAss, S. WILLIAMS. 

